I actually bought this TV about 9 weeks ago for $699, yeah I got $150 Cash Back from the store. My eye is also on the card for one more price drop before the 3 months return window closes, just for the record.

For those buying at Costco, you can extend the warranty to 5 years for $29.99 extra via the SquareTrade warranty offered at the store. If you don't buy the warranty in-store, you can also buy the same 3-year SquareTrade warranty online at Costco.com anytime up to 60 days after your TV purchase: Link to 3-year warranty at Costco.com

600Hz Sub-field Drive: Panasonic uses its own unique image-analysis technology. This technology converts the motion in each scene into data, and each frame is virtually displayed in a shorter length of time, to create crisp images Enjoy brighter and clearer images from almost anywhere in the room Fast Switching Phosphors: Eliminates motion blur for clearer sports, movies and video games Media Player simply insert SD Media Card - Movie and Photo-Capable. Enjoy your photos and video clips on the big screenSpecification:

Sychev22 said: How well would this do with PS3/PC gaming? Once broken-in, it should be great for gaming. Plasma is still king in terms of picture quality, colors and fast-motions.

planejanetic said: Been looking for a new TV. I will have to look into this at my local Costco. Thank you I'd also recommend checking the U50. U50 is this year's model with similar specs for $700 (Amazon/BB), or the UT50 (with 3D) for $800 on Amazon. I don't know much about this G15 but the U50 looked really nice. Based on what I can gather from Google, it sounds like this was from 2009 and reviewed very well.

lok214

Happy Member

posted: Jun. 14, 2012 @ 7:52p

I just picked this up yesterday from my local costco, tv is great for the price, you beat me to it!. I also tried it with my PS3 and it looks awesome with first person shooter!

Pro: 1080P, 90 days return, relatively light 2 person can handle it easily, thinner profile, only $21 per year according to energy sticker, $649 for panasonic quality, costco 2nd year warranty for free or buy 3 more years from square trade for 59.99

Con: I am one of those VGA guy..... this TV has only 2 HDMI + 1 component + USB thats about it so far I can tell... very limited... I would have to get a VGA to DVI to HDMi converter to hook up my pc to this tv or upgrade my video card. Other than that, not much complains except I was pay sales tax lol! I think this is a strip down version of the U50 which has more inputs.

Costco is great! The fact you can eat $1.50 hot dog and drink while comparing all the different TV pictures is priceless! I was also looking to wait for a price drop as well which I think would be in the $499 area.... 90 days return is great!

polishdreamer

Senior Member - 10K

posted: Jun. 14, 2012 @ 8:24p

lok214 said: I just picked this up yesterday from my local costco, tv is great for the price, you beat me to it!. I also tried it with my PS3 and it looks awesome with first person shooter!

Pro: 1080P, 90 days return, relatively light 2 person can handle it easily, thinner profile, only $21 per year according to energy sticker, $649 for panasonic quality, costco 2nd year warranty for free or buy 3 more years from square trade for 59.99

Con: I am one of those VGA guy..... this TV has only 2 HDMI + 1 component + USB thats about it so far I can tell... very limited... I would have to get a VGA to DVI to HDMi converter to hook up my pc to this tv or upgrade my video card. Other than that, not much complains except I was pay sales tax lol! I think this is a strip down version of the U50 which has more inputs.

Costco is great! The fact you can eat $1.50 hot dog and drink while comparing all the different TV pictures is priceless! I was also looking to wait for a price drop as well which I think would be in the $499 area.... 90 days return is great!

You have 3 solid months to get any price drops back in your pocket, I paid $699 3 weeks ago. Congrats & enjoy.

LeftyGuitarMan

Member

posted: Jun. 14, 2012 @ 10:51p

TC-P50U54 IS IDENTICAL TO THE U50 AND IT IS A 2012 MODEL. ALL PANNIES THIS YEAR FEATURE G15 PANELS. THIS IS THE SAME PANEL AS THE UT/ST/GT/VT, THE LATTER 3 HAVING THE AR COATING. BUT IN A DARKENED ROOM THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME .MLL.

SURE THE GT/VT ARE THX CERTIFIED. UT/ST/GT/VT ALSO HAVE 2500 FFD & 3D, BUT IF U DON'T NEED 3D THIS IS YOUR SET! THERE IS NO BETTER DEAL OUT THERE @ THE MOMENT.

LeftyGuitarMan said: TC-P50U54 IS IDENTICAL TO THE U50 AND IT IS A 2012 MODEL. ALL PANNIES THIS YEAR FEATURE G15 PANELS. THIS IS THE SAME PANEL AS THE UT/ST/GT/VT, THE LATTER 3 HAVING THE AR COATING. BUT IN A DARKENED ROOM THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME .MLL.

SURE THE GT/VT ARE THX CERTIFIED. UT/ST/GT/VT ALSO HAVE 2500 FFD & 3D, BUT IF U DON'T NEED 3D THIS IS YOUR SET! THERE IS NO BETTER DEAL OUT THERE @ THE MOMENT.

Not sure why this post got red but everything he said is 100% true. This is the warehouse version of the TC-P50U50, the only difference is the unique model number given to the units offered by Sam's and Costco. I just got my U50 today and so far I am more than impressed. For more info look here.

scubasteve

Handsome Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 12:16a

Mektarus said: LeftyGuitarMan said: TC-P50U54 IS IDENTICAL TO THE U50 AND IT IS A 2012 MODEL. ALL PANNIES THIS YEAR FEATURE G15 PANELS. THIS IS THE SAME PANEL AS THE UT/ST/GT/VT, THE LATTER 3 HAVING THE AR COATING. BUT IN A DARKENED ROOM THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME .MLL.

SURE THE GT/VT ARE THX CERTIFIED. UT/ST/GT/VT ALSO HAVE 2500 FFD & 3D, BUT IF U DON'T NEED 3D THIS IS YOUR SET! THERE IS NO BETTER DEAL OUT THERE @ THE MOMENT.

Not sure why this post got red but everything he said is 100% true. This is the warehouse version of the TC-P50U50, the only difference is the unique model number given to the units offered by Sam's and Costco. I just got my U50 today and so far I am more than impressed. For more info look here.

LeftyGuitarMan said: TC-P50U54 IS IDENTICAL TO THE U50 AND IT IS A 2012 MODEL. ALL PANNIES THIS YEAR FEATURE G15 PANELS. THIS IS THE SAME PANEL AS THE UT/ST/GT/VT, THE LATTER 3 HAVING THE AR COATING. BUT IN A DARKENED ROOM THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME .MLL.

SURE THE GT/VT ARE THX CERTIFIED. UT/ST/GT/VT ALSO HAVE 2500 FFD & 3D, BUT IF U DON'T NEED 3D THIS IS YOUR SET! THERE IS NO BETTER DEAL OUT THERE @ THE MOMENT. So is this the TC-P50U54? I didn't see the model mentioned anywhere

Red55

Senior Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 4:59a

Thanks OP! Love my 50" Panny! Over 3 years and over $900. Great TV! and yes the plasma is a better picture. Most of the negatives of Plasma have gotten better, longer screen life (at least double) and the electric consumption has been cut by half. If you buy one check out the AV forums. Excellent tips on how to "break" it in and how to calibrate for a better picture. Serious addicts spend a fortune on equipment or pay a pro to calibrate it. Me, I just used someone's calibration numbers. Now how to I talk the CFO into buying another for the bedroom? (two is always better than one)

Yuyak said: LeftyGuitarMan said: TC-P50U54 IS IDENTICAL TO THE U50 AND IT IS A 2012 MODEL. ALL PANNIES THIS YEAR FEATURE G15 PANELS. THIS IS THE SAME PANEL AS THE UT/ST/GT/VT, THE LATTER 3 HAVING THE AR COATING. BUT IN A DARKENED ROOM THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME .MLL.

SURE THE GT/VT ARE THX CERTIFIED. UT/ST/GT/VT ALSO HAVE 2500 FFD & 3D, BUT IF U DON'T NEED 3D THIS IS YOUR SET! THERE IS NO BETTER DEAL OUT THERE @ THE MOMENT. So is this the TC-P50U54? I didn't see the model mentioned anywhere

It's actually the TC-50PU54. If you look on Costco's page it's at the very bottom of the product info.

polishdreamer

Senior Member - 10K

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 6:38a

Red55 said: Thanks OP! Love my 50" Panny! Over 3 years and over $900. Great TV! and yes the plasma is a better picture. Most of the negatives of Plasma have gotten better, longer screen life (at least double) and the electric consumption has been cut by half. If you buy one check out the AV forums. Excellent tips on how to "break" it in and how to calibrate for a better picture. Serious addicts spend a fortune on equipment or pay a pro to calibrate it. Me, I just used someone's calibration numbers. Now how to I talk the CFO into buying another for the bedroom? (two is always better than one)

My CFO talked me into buying this for the bedroom, I used the I'm going to upgrade the main TV speech & showed her the $2,000 models. All of a sudden, this seemed like a great bargain.

1023pm

Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 8:34a

lok214 said: Costco is great! The fact you can eat $1.50 hot dog and drink while comparing all the different TV pictures is priceless! I was also looking to wait for a price drop as well which I think would be in the $499 area.... 90 days return is great!

About the 90 day return policy. I got black listed even though it's within 90 days.

polishdreamer

Senior Member - 10K

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 8:43a

1023pm said: lok214 said: Costco is great! The fact you can eat $1.50 hot dog and drink while comparing all the different TV pictures is priceless! I was also looking to wait for a price drop as well which I think would be in the $499 area.... 90 days return is great!

About the 90 day return policy. I got black listed even though it's within 90 days.

LOL, you must have pushed the envelope quite a bit in the past.

SteelRing

Ancient Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 9:57a

if i bought my vizio prior to them instituting the 90-day policy, how do i make them take that as return?

polishdreamer

Senior Member - 10K

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 10:13a

SteelRing said: if i bought my vizio prior to them instituting the 90-day policy, how do i make them take that as return?

LOL, you get real lucky & find a manager ready to lose their job.

JuLink

Addicted Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 12:14p

I just noticed this TV when I was at Costco last night and thought "nice tv, that looks like a good deal".

Good find OP.

rockymast

Ancient Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 12:20p

Price is pretty decent. It's Panasonic so cant compare it to Samsung or Sony! I would want a 3D TV

rockymast said: Price is pretty decent. It's Panasonic so cant compare it to Samsung or Sony! I would want a 3D TV If you want 3D, there's a deal on the UT50 for $800 on Amazon that MechanicalMan posted a few days ago.

For anyone who have bought this or have seen it in stores, what do you think about the glossiness of the screen? I just bought the LG LM6700 LED-LCD TV last night at Fry's (very good price, 30 day return policy with no restocking fee) but I'm a bit bothered by how reflective it is. I'm considering switching to something like this. I don't really want to fork out an additional $500 for the ST50 when all I really care about is the anti-reflective coating.

OrionTHX

Loyal Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 1:14p

megamands said: germanpope said: it is a plasma TV

plasmas are better than LEDs if you do your research

better bang for the buck too IMO

germanpope

Graceful Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 1:23p

OrionTHX said: megamands said: germanpope said: it is a plasma TV

plasmas are better than LEDs if you do your research

better bang for the buck too IMO

yes, but it is very difficult to swap out the plasma and replace it with lcd's

TheCrashmaster

Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 1:42p

Price is good, but we are only a few weeks from the Independence Day (July 4) sales where virtually all the major merchandisers put their wares on sale. Yes, Costco, Nebraska Furniture and Best Buy will likely honor any sale price that is upcoming, you still take the risk that a similar or better TV might be priced lower for July 4.

I'm looking for a 55" TV but am waiting until the July 4 sales. You need to also consider financing, delivery, installation, extended warranty, and other things besides just price. Granted Costco price is good and so is their warranty and extended warranty.

I have a C50FD18 from Costco. 3 years old and am needing to replace it - power on/off doesn't work (yet again). We have to physically take the power cord out of the back to reboot each time we want to watch TV. Not sure about this thread's model but the repair guy said there are known power issues with Panny. Got mine repaired year 1 under manu warranty. Then again year 2 under AMEX extended warranty, and now am just screwed.Other than that, the picture & sound have been good.

rockymast said: Price is pretty decent. It's Panasonic so cant compare it to Samsung or Sony! I would want a 3D TV

Ya, Panasonic is just on a higher level than Samsung and Sony that you just can't compare them. Panasonic is rated highest for plasmas, Sony quit making plasmas because Panasonic dominated the market. Crazy

yes, but it is very difficult to swap out the plasma and replace it with lcd's

if you have that kind of money why do it yourself go pay someone...

Id rather save the extra 150 + and get a plasma then if I get tired of the dam think and what something else I'll upgrade again. T

polishdreamer

Senior Member - 10K

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 2:12p

TheCrashmaster said: Price is good, but we are only a few weeks from the Independence Day (July 4) sales where virtually all the major merchandisers put their wares on sale. Yes, Costco, Nebraska Furniture and Best Buy will likely honor any sale price that is upcoming, you still take the risk that a similar or better TV might be priced lower for July 4.

I'm looking for a 55" TV but am waiting until the July 4 sales. You need to also consider financing, delivery, installation, extended warranty, and other things besides just price. Granted Costco price is good and so is their warranty and extended warranty.

I think we will see even better prices the closer we get to July 4.

So if you buy today at Costco & the price gets better on or before Sept 15th2012, you get the adjusted price.

Yuyak said: rockymast said: Price is pretty decent. It's Panasonic so cant compare it to Samsung or Sony! I would want a 3D TV If you want 3D, there's a deal on the UT50 for $800 on Amazon that MechanicalMan posted a few days ago.

For anyone who have bought this or have seen it in stores, what do you think about the glossiness of the screen? I just bought the LG LM6700 LED-LCD TV last night at Fry's (very good price, 30 day return policy with no restocking fee) but I'm a bit bothered by how reflective it is. I'm considering switching to something like this. I don't really want to fork out an additional $500 for the ST50 when all I really care about is the anti-reflective coating.

I just got my U50 yesterday from Amazon and let me start by saying the picture is gorgeous. This is my first plasma (replacing a LED DLP that I loved) and I, too, was really worried about glare. We have a large window to the side of the TV and we usually have a lamp on at night that is also to the side. The screen is like a mirror BUT I have yet to be distracted by the glare. Maybe I'm just lucky with the angles but even though I can see reflections if I look for them they don't interfere with viewing. Now, all that being said, I think if you have a light source directly opposite the TV it might make it unwatchable. As a side note, and for what it's worth, many people that have seen the 2012 Panasonics both with and without anti-reflection (I have not) seem to prefer the screens without as they provide a brighter, more vibrant picture.

flyingroach

Senior Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 4:18p

Remember you should transport this home standing up and can't lay flat. You need a mini van or pickup. May be tight in some suv unless you trim the box. Bring a blade.

Really great TV

eko

Ancient Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 5:01p

flyingroach said: Remember you should transport this home standing up and can't lay flat.

This may be common knowledge to most but I've never heard it before. Why can't a plasma lay flat for transport?

10credi

Thrifty Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 5:08p

eko said: flyingroach said: Remember you should transport this home standing up and can't lay flat.

This may be common knowledge to most but I've never heard it before. Why can't a plasma lay flat for transport?

A Google Search with the same text in your question gave the following: Answer

FWIW, depth perception is the biggest advantage I see in Plasma compared to LED or LCD TVs. In addition, the black reproduction is just amazing and it does not "pop" out of the screen like LCD (non 3D) TV. Plasmas Rock!!! and Panasonic Plasmas Rock!!!

eko said: flyingroach said: Remember you should transport this home standing up and can't lay flat.

This may be common knowledge to most but I've never heard it before. Why can't a plasma lay flat for transport? Plasma TVs basically have the cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass. Therefore, when the face of the TV is not supported evenly throughout, the screen is prone to cracking. This is supposedly particularly problematic while transporting when you add in road vibrations. Not sure if it's a real concern or a myth, but it's I've seen a lot more people say to do this than people who claim it's a myth.

dafish

Tired Member

posted: Jun. 15, 2012 @ 5:16p

Ive had a Panasonic plasma for about 3 years now. Beautiful picture and the blacks are amazing. One of the benefits of a plasma I love is no matter what angle you view it at, you get the same beautiful picture. When this one wears out, I'll be getting another Panasonic plasma.

Disclaimer: By providing links to other sites, FatWallet.com does not guarantee, approve or endorse the information or products available at these sites, nor does a link indicate any association with or endorsement by the linked site to FatWallet.com.

Members of our community may attach files to a post in accordance with the User Agreement. FatWallet is not responsible for the content, accuracy, completeness or validity of any information contained in any attached file. Files have *not* been scanned for viruses. Be especially wary of Excel files which may contain malicious content.

FatWallet coupons help you save more when shopping online. Use our Coupons Search to browse coupons and offers from thousands of stores, gathered into one convenient location.

Forums
As part of our FatWallet Community, you can share deals with almost a million shoppers in our forums. Forum content is generated by consumers for consumers. Share deals, money-saving tips, and more. It's FREE, fun, and addicting.

Support
Our customer experience team is here around the clock - real people ready to assist.